Alita Battle Angel 2: The Producer Announces the Development of A Sequel
Thanks to a notable success at the box office before the pandemic, Alita Battle Angel has become a cult classic, amassing a huge following in the three years since its theatrical release. Because of this, there has always been a plan to grow the world of Alita through a series of sequels; sequels that could now kick-off, off as the merger between 20th Century Fox and Disney is now complete. In fact, Alita producer Jon Landau says he and Robert Rodriguez discussed plans for a sequel just a few weeks ago.
Alita Battle Angel 2: A Sequel Is Developing
“Robert [Rodriguez] and I talked about it two weeks ago. We are very excited about this prospect,” says Landau. “Alita is a film that even after rewatching it recently, we are really proud of that film. And we think there are other stories to tell with the character of him and that’s why we want to go back to it”.
Like the #SaveDaredevil and Release the Snyder Cut movements, the Alita Army has become an organized effort in effort to pressure movie executives to greenlight future sequels.
“Alita Army! Keep it up. I’ll tell you a funny story,” adds the producer. “I’m back in Los Angeles. I was in New Zealand for a while and I came back to Los Angeles over the summer and the day I was there, first day back, I opened the Los Angeles Times and there was an ad from the Army of Alita in color and I was like, ‘There you go! Thank you. Keep it up!”.
In total, Alita grossed $405 million worldwide for 20th Century Fox in 2019. Though development on the sequels has stalled due to the studio merger, Alita director Robert Rodriguez has always been optimistic that Disney executives reportedly chose to continue the franchise.
“I think anything is possible,” Rodriguez told Forbes during a 2020 interview. “Disney bought Fox and has Disney+, so it’s worth talking about. I know other people would like to see another one, and I would like to make another one. As far as destination or realization, I think streaming has opened up a lot of opportunities, like sequels. It’s already a pre-sold concept, it already has a built-in audience that wants to see it, and then it’s delivered to them in a way that’s the easiest for them to consume. So, it’s not a bad idea.”
Perhaps there’s still a little hope left for the sequel to Alita Battle Angel. Speaking with Deadline at the premiere of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, producer Jon Landau said he has been in discussions with director Robert Rodriguez about a potential sequel. “There’s a little movie called Alita: Battle Angel that we’d love to make a sequel to. I’m talking to Robert about it and hopefully, it comes to fruition,” he said. “I never put a deadline on anything because you would hold it against me”.
#AvatarTheWayOfWater producer Jon Landau gives an update on the 'Alita: Battle Angel' sequel pic.twitter.com/fBtJVyBLzm
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) December 6, 2022
What is Alita Battle Angel all About?
Co-written by Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis, Alita Battle Angel debuted in February 2019 and is based on the Japanese manga series created by Yukito Kishiro. Played by Rosa Salazar through performance capture animation, Alita follows the cyborg who, after waking up in a new body with no memories of her past, tries to navigate her new life and discover her destiny. Set hundreds of years in the future, the sci-fi action film stars Christoph Waltz as Dr. Dyson Ido, Jennifer Connelly as Dr. Chiren, Mahershala Ali as Vector, and Keean Johnson as Hugo.
